# Jess Cain

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Jess_Cain
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Jess_Cain.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jess_Cain
> Source revision: 1356642460
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|American radio personality (1926–2008)}}
'''Jess Daniel Dennis Cain II''' (June 17, 1926 – February 14, 2008) was an American [radio personality](/source/radio_personality).

== Career ==
For 34 years, from 1957 to 1991, Cain was the morning drivetime personality on [WHDH](/source/WEEI_(AM))/850 in [Boston](/source/Boston%2C_Massachusetts).{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} Cain also was a professional actor and appeared in theater and musical theater productions, and appeared in early television on the Sergeant Bilko - a.k.a. ''[The Phil Silvers Show](/source/The_Phil_Silvers_Show)''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}   A native of [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania](/source/Philadelphia%2C_Pennsylvania), he was a graduate of Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia and the [University of Notre Dame](/source/University_of_Notre_Dame).{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

Cain's song about [Carl Yastrzemski](/source/Carl_Yastrzemski) — which he adapted from an old [ragtime](/source/ragtime) tune called "Shoutin' Liza Trombone" — appeared on "The Impossible Dream," a WHDH-produced album commemorating the [1967 Boston Red Sox season](/source/1967_Boston_Red_Sox_season) and later as part of the soundtrack of the 2005 movie ''[Fever Pitch](/source/Fever_Pitch_(2005_film))''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

He was a [World War II](/source/World_War_II) veteran, serving under [Audie Murphy](/source/Audie_Murphy) at the [Battle of the Bulge](/source/Battle_of_the_Bulge) and earning the [Silver Star](/source/Silver_Star).{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

In 1970, Cain criticized [Johnny Cash](/source/Johnny_Cash)'s anti-war song "What is Truth?".  He called the song "junk" and "Trash".<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|366928048}} |title=NAMES & FACES IN THE NEWS |work=Boston Globe |date=2 April 1970 |page=2 }}</ref>

Cain died from [prostate cancer](/source/prostate_cancer) in his [Beacon Hill](/source/Beacon_Hill_(Boston)) home at the age of 81.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/02/radio_legend_je.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726045534/http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/02/radio_legend_je.html
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=July 26, 2008
|title=Radio legend Jess Cain is dead at 81
|first=Bryan
|last=Marquard
|publisher=The Boston Globe
|date=2008-02-14}}</ref> He was inducted into the [National Radio Hall of Fame](/source/National_Radio_Hall_of_Fame) in November 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.patriotledger.com/homepage/x2124111009 |title=Radio pioneer Jess Cain gets Hall of Fame honors - Quincy, MA - The Patriot Ledger<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420193544/http://www.patriotledger.com/homepage/x2124111009 |archive-date=2008-04-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{YouTube|pwSTLpEVWOE|Instrumental performance of "Shoutin' Liza Trombone"}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cain, Jess}}
Category:1926 births
Category:2008 deaths
Category:American radio DJs
Category:United States Army personnel of World War II
Category:Culture of Boston
Category:Radio personalities from Philadelphia
Category:Radio personalities from Boston
Category:Recipients of the Silver Star
Category:University of Notre Dame alumni
Category:20th-century American musicians
Category:People from Beacon Hill, Boston
Category:United States Army soldiers

{{US-radio-bio-stub}}

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jess Cain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jess_Cain) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jess_Cain?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.